System Architecture: A Critical Element When Evaluating a Network Monitoring System

System Architecture
A Critical Element When Evaluating a Network Monitoring System
AbstractVirtually any commercially available network monitoring system will meet the functional requirements of small to mid-sized businesses and public sector organizations. However, these systems vary widely on considerations such as ease of implementation and use, ongoing maintenance cost and effort, ease of remote deployment, and reliability of alert delivery-all based on system architecture. Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) network monitoring is easier to deploy and maintain than software-based monitoring systems, but it is completely dependent on unimpeded Internet access. A newer architecture, Appliance-enabled Software (AeS) services, combines a plug-in monitoring appliance with a hosted dashboard application to provide the benefits of SaaS along with failover out-of-band communication capabilities for dependable alert notification and escalation.
© Copyright 2007 Jumpnode Systems LLC. All rights reserved. www.jumpnode.com | 866-JUMP111 (866-586-7111) |  IntroductionNetwork monitoring is essential for any organization that relies on computer networks to keep operations running. Today, this requirement applies not only to large enterprises, but also to small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs), government agencies, educational institutions, school districts and other entities. While these organizations depend on smoothly performing networks as much as large enterprises do, they often lack the budget and IT resources to purchase and support complex high-end network monitoring systems.
Virtually any commercially available network monitoring system will meet the functional needs of these organizations. While specific features vary, nearly all alternatives provide: . A unified "dashboard" interface;. R eal-time reports and graphs;. The ability to monitor common network devices and services;. Auto-discovery of devices and services for monitoring; and. The ability to set alert thresholds.
With little difference in functionality, it is the underlying technology that differentiates network monitoring systems on vital criteria such as cost, usability, access, ease of installation and maintenance.
Network monitoring products can be grouped into five categories based on architecture:. O pen-source software. L ow-cost desktop software. E nterprise software. Software-as-a-Service (SaaS). A ppliance-enabled Services (AeS)
All provide essential network monitoring functionality, but their underlying architectures offer differing degrees of simplicity, cost and accessibility.
Open-Source SoftwareThe primary appeal of open-source software is price-there is no up-front cost for the application or ongoing software maintenance fees. Popular packages such as Hyperic, OpenNMS and Nagios are also functionally rich, having been developed over time by communities of developers familiar with network monitoring.
Open-source products, however, involve a number of hidden costs. Generally, deploying an open-source network monitoring application requires purchasing, configuring and maintaining a dedicated server, and often requires installation of additional open-source or commercial applications.
Configuring and maintaining these systems is a time-consuming endeavor requiring specialized knowledge. In addition, data backups require manual setup. Because there is generally no commercial support available, network administrators must rely on web-based resources and their own ingenuity to solve problems.
© Copyright 2007 Jumpnode Systems LLC. All rights reserved. www.jumpnode.com | 866-JUMP111 (866-586-7111) |  Finally, open-source systems are impractical for organizations with remote sites and centralized IT staffs, as they don't provide a centralized view of multiple networks. As a result, implementation, use and maintenance of these applications require dedicated IT resources at each location.
Desktop SoftwareA number of low-cost (priced from $500 to $2,500) internal monitoring products are available for organizations with anywhere from 10 to 1,000 networked devices. Major vendors include Ipswitch, SolarWinds, Breakout Technologies and Nessoft. For small businesses, the chief advantage of these products is cost-but there are tradeoffs to consider.
First, these software systems require considerable effort to maintain. Each patch and u... [download for more]